Refrigerating apparatus



Julylo, 1945. I Wl A, KUENZU 2,380,053

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed March 1l, 1944 ATTORNEY Patented July 10, 1945 REFRJGERATING APPARATUS Walter A. Kuenzli, Evansville, Ind., assigner to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 11, 1944, seria1N0.525,9vi 7 claims. (ol. ,2u-'153) My invention'relates to improvements in food supporting shelves particularly adapted for use in domestic refrigerators.

Refrigerator shelves heretofore have generally beenmade of metal. Metal shelves are expensive, difficult to fabricate and hard to keep clean,

Glass shelves have been proposed heretofore but have generally been expensive in that the glass must be drilled in order. to attach it to a supporting frame, or, as in some instances, complicated fastening devices have been provided.

It is an object of my Ainvention to provide a refrigerator shelf that may be made mostly of non-metallic material and still be quickly and conveniently assembled.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a sanitary refrigerator shelf that may be conveniently assembled and disassembled for cleaning.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts:

Fig, 1 is a perspective view of a part of a refrigerator cabinet showing my improved shelf supported therein;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my improved shelf;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. Liris a vertical transverse section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

In the drawing, wherein for purposes of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral I0 designates generally a rectangular frame. This `frame includes a relatively deep rectangular tubular member Il at one end and a relatively shallow rectangular tubular member I2 at its opposite end. End members I I and I2 are connected by two rods I3 and I4 which form the sides of the rectangular frame and which are welded or otherwise secured to the end members.

End member II is provided, on its inner face I5, with a plurality of elongate openings I6. Arranged in the end member II, centrally of each of the openings I5, is a coil spring Il, one end of which may be welded or otherwise secured to 4said end member. End member l2 is provided, on its inner face I8, with a plurality of elongate openings I9, which openings are located directly the strip is released and springrIB expands. and

forces the left end of the strip against the inside inner face 2| of end member I2. The shape and size of openings I6 and I9 and the transverse cross section of the strips 2li is such that the strips t neatly within said openings and due to the compression of spring I6 are firmly held in place in the frame. The strips are, however, readily removed from the frame by merely pushing them to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, until their left ends clear the inner face I8 of end member I2. Then the left ends are raised slightly so as to clear the top of end member I2, and then they are moved to the left to remove the right ends from the openings I6, in end member II.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is limited only by L the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shelf comprising a frame, said frame including a pair of spaced hollow end members having openings in the inner faces thereof and a Apair of spaced side members connecting said end members, a plurality of individually removable plates supported by said end members with the ends thereof projecting through said openings into the hollow of each of said end members, and means associated with one of said end members and arranged to Contact one end of each of said plates to urge the opposite end of each of said plates into' the hollow of the other of said end members.

2. A food supporting shelf comprising a frame, said frame including a pair of spaced recessed end members and a .pair of spaced side members secured to said end members, a plurality of individually removable food supporting' plates supported by said end members and having the ends thereof projecting into the recesses of said end members, and means located in the recesses of one of said end members and arranged to resiliently urge one end of said supporting plates into the recesses of the other of said end members.

3. A food supporting shelf for domestic refrigerators comprising a frame, said frame including a plurality of spaced recessed end members and a plurality of spaced side members connecting said end members, a plurality of individually removable non-metallic food supporting strips having their ends gprojecting into the recesses o .said end members and being supported vby said end members, and means associated with one of saidl end members arranged to resiliently urge said strips toward another of said end members 4. A shelf comprising a frame, said frame including a pair of tubular spaced fend members each provided with openings iin the inner 'fface thereof and a pair of spaced side members secured to said end members, -a3p1urality of `:lm-iividually removable nat plates supported by said tubular end members with the ends thereof -prol. jecting through .said openings .in-to said Atubular `end members, l.and `a plurality of springs located supporting members at one end of said frame and arranged to contact one end of each of said plates to urge' the opposite end of each of said plates into the recesses of the supporting member at the opposite end of said frame.

6. A shelf comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced end members each provided with recessed portions, spaced means holding said end members in lspaced apart relation, la, plurality o'f individu'a'lly removable strips located Yin a horizontal plane between said end members with the ends pf said strips projecting into the recessed portions -of ysaid end members, and resilientl means associated with said strips and with the recessed por- :ticmsiof fone vof said Aend members for removably holding vsaid strips between said end members.

'1. A shelf structure including a pair of laterally 4spaced Amembers each provided with a recessed portion opening toward each other, means forholding said members in spaced relationship, `a detachable .strip located .in a commonvhorizontal `.plane with said members 4to iorm .an .article supporting surface, the opposite ends ;of;said s'trip ,projecting into said lrecessed ,portions .of :said members but withdrawble therefrom, and means .concealed Wli-tlin the recessed .portion of .one member for exerting `force between said .member and ,sa-id strip to hold lthe latter .in place, said :means 'being flexible to permit Withdrawal and insertion o'f .said kstrip Ior cleaning or replacement.

WAL'I'ER A. KUENZLI. 

